American Attitudes Toward Decolonization in Africa

This chapter examines the evolution of American attitudes toward the decolonization of Africa during the decade from 1952 to 1962. The Asian-African Conference, held in Bandung, Indonesia in April 1955, had heightened American fears that the newly independent nations, although operating under the guise of "non-alignment," were, in fact, inching toward the Communist camp. A major source of irritation with African leaders was the American satisfaction with any action professing movement towards independence; what interested the Africans was the speed with which this movement proceeded. Strains of Wilsonian idealism were still important in many debates over US foreign policy, and the longstanding American dedication to self-determination was often mentioned in discussions of the decolonization issue. The general recommendation was that the United States should not pursue the decolonization issue too strenuously, and when action was required, it should be strictly through the auspices of the metropole

Decolonization · Development economics · Economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · African history and culture studies · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · Law

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